RICHMOND, Va. » In an upset for the ages, Majority Leader Eric Cantor of Virginia, the second-most powerful man in the House, was dethroned Tuesday by a little-known, tea party-backed Republican primary challenger carried to victory on a wave of public anger over calls for looser immigration laws.

"This is a miracle from God that just happened," exulted David Brat, an economics professor, as his victory became clear in the congressional district around Virginia's capital city.

Speaking to downcast supporters, Cantor conceded, "Obviously we came up short" in a bid for renomination to an eighth term.

The victory was by far the biggest of the 2014 campaign season for tea party forces, although last week they forced veteran Mississippi Sen. Thad Cochran into a June 24 runoff, and hope state Sen. Chris McDaniel can prevail then.

Cantor's defeat was the first primary setback for a senior leader in Congress in recent years. Former House Speaker Thomas Foley of Washington and Senate Democratic leader Tom Daschle of South Dakota both lost their seats at the polls in the past two decades, but they fell to Republicans, not to challengers from within their own parties.

The outcome may well mark the end of Cantor's political career, and aides did not respond Tuesday night when asked if the majority leader, 51, would run a write-in campaign in the fall.

But its impact on the fate of immigration legislation in the current Congress seemed clearer still. Conservatives will now be emboldened in their opposition to legislation to create a path to citizenship for immigrants living in the country illegally, and party leaders who are more sympathetic to such legislation will likely be less willing to try.

The majority leader had been tugged by two warring forces in his party and in recent weeks sought to emphasize his opposition to far-reaching immigration legislation as Brat's challenge gained force. Last month, a feisty crowd of Brat supporters booed Cantor in front of his family at a local party convention.

Still, neither he nor other House leaders betrayed any serious concern that his tenure was in danger, and his allies leaked a private poll in recent days that claimed he had a comfortable lead over Brat.

In the end, despite help from establishment groups, Cantor's repudiation was complete in an area that first sent him to Congress in 2000.

With votes counted in 99 percent of the precincts, 64,418 votes were cast, roughly a 37 percent increase over two years ago.

Despite that, Cantor polled fewer votes than he did in 2012 — 28,631 this time, compared with 37,369 then.

House Speaker John Boehner issued a statement hailing Cantor as "a good friend and a great leader, and someone I've come to rely upon on a daily basis as we make the tough choices that come with governing."

It was unclear if Cantor intended to remain in his leadership post for the duration of the year or who might replace him in the new Congress if Republicans hold their majority.

Democrats seized on the upset as evidence that their fight for House control this fall is far from over.

"Eric Cantor has long been the face of House Republicans' extreme policies, debilitating dysfunction and manufactured crises. Tonight, is a major victory for the tea party as they yet again pull the Republican Party further to the radical right," said the Democratic leader, Nancy Pelosi of California. "As far as the midterm elections are concerned, it's a whole new ballgame."

Cantor was appointed to his first leadership position in 2002, when he was named chief deputy whip of the party and became the highest-ranking Jewish Republican in Washington. It was a recognition of his fundraising skills as well as his conservative voting record at a time Republican leaders were eager to tap into Jewish donors for their campaigns. Since Boehner became speaker in 2009, Cantor has been seen as both a likely eventual successor and at times a potential rival.

Jay S. Poole, a Cantor volunteer, said Brat tapped into widespread frustration among voters about the gridlock in Washington and issues such as immigration. "I can't tell you how amazing this is to me," Poole said.

Much of the campaign centered on immigration, where critics on both sides of the debate have recently taken aim at Cantor. Brat accused him of being a top cheerleader for "amnesty" for immigrants who are living in the U.S. illegally. Cantor responded forcefully by boasting in mailers of blocking Senate plans "to give illegal aliens amnesty."

It was a change in tone for Cantor, who has repeatedly voiced support for giving citizenship to certain immigrants brought illegally to the country as children. Cantor and House GOP leaders have advocated a step-by-step approach, rather than the comprehensive bill backed by the Senate — but were persistently vague on the details.

Brat teaches at Randolph-Macon College, a small liberal arts school north of Richmond. He raised just over $200,000 for his campaign, while Cantor spent more than $1 million in April and May alone to try to beat back his challenge.

Washington-based groups also spent heavily in the race. The American Chemistry Council, whose members include many blue chip companies, spent more than $300,000 on TV ads promoting Cantor in the group's only independent expenditure so far this election year. Political arms of the American College of Radiology, the National Rifle Association and the National Association of Realtors also spent money on ads to promote Cantor.

Brat offset the cash disadvantage with endorsements from conservative activists like radio host Laura Ingraham and with help from local tea party activists angry at Cantor.

In the fall, Brat will face Democrat Jack Trammel, also a professor at Randolph-Macon, in the solidly Republican district.

Associated Press writers David Pace and Erica Werner in Washington and Larry O'Dell, Steve Szkotak and Michael Felberbaum in Richmond contributed to this report. Espo reported from Washington.

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OldDiverwrote:

Poor guy wasn't crazy enough for the Tea Party.

on June 10,2014 | 07:31PM

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HD36wrote:

Sounds like Pelosi is your kind : "We have to pass this bill to find out what's inside"

on June 10,2014 | 08:14PM

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OldDiverwrote:

Sounds like Brat is your kind.

on June 10,2014 | 08:39PM

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droidwrote:

I’ll take Brat over Pelosi any day of the week. It’s about time we elected someone who actually knows something about managing other people's money!

on June 11,2014 | 04:20AM

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samidunnwrote:

I really don't know what the "Tea Party" is. I've never seen them on a ballot like the Green Party. Anyway the news report I heard this evening said that Brat did not have Tea Party support.

on June 10,2014 | 08:29PM

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OldDiverwrote:

The Tea Party is the billionaire fueled radical wing of the Republican Party. They are generally the low information voters. You may remember their signs which said "No Government run Healthcare but Don't touch my Medicare".

on June 10,2014 | 09:13PM

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Paulh808wrote:

A little education for you far left trolls, tea party= citizens against big government and high taxes. I know that you can't think for yourself and can only spout what the MSM tells you, but take a step back and look at the country since your socialist party has been in charge. Auwe!

on June 10,2014 | 10:04PM

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Slowwrote:

I've looked. Since the socialist party has been in charge...you mean Obama? The socialist whose been steadfastly blocked by the tea party? In charge of what? The NSA? Guantanamo? Billions spent on Afghanistan? Drones? Tea party dolts love a big military, love restricting voting rights yet loath helping the poor. Weird and disturbing. Helping the poor (remember helping the poor, all you Christian right-wingers?) is a minute portion of our budget.

on June 11,2014 | 06:17AM

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Paulh808wrote:

Lib talking points don't change the truth, you guys own the damage to this country. I'll take Christian Right wingers any day, who do more for the poor than you tax loving trolls on the left.

on June 11,2014 | 06:38AM

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HD36wrote:

Negative. The Tea Party has its roots from the Libertarian Ron Paul. He couldn't win as a libertarian so ran as a Republican in 2012. The tea party does not believe in military hegemony. They do not want to be the policeman of the world. They believe in defending our national borders, limited government, free capitalism, and upholding the Constitution and individual rights. Rand Paul is Ron's son, so you can see how distorted your view on the tea party is. I can't blame you though, because mass media propaganda is owned by big government.

on June 11,2014 | 06:44AM

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primowarriorwrote:

The Tea Party calls him one of their own, on their website.

on June 10,2014 | 09:24PM

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droidwrote:

A badge of pride!

on June 11,2014 | 04:20AM

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Winstonwrote:

OldIgnorant, that should be your handle. This guy did not run as a Tea Party candidate. He was endorsed by them, but got relatively little support from any
Tea Party group or anyone for that matter since he ran on a financial shoestring.

He was elected, probably, because Cantor implied he'd support immigration amnesty under pressure from the Chamber of Commerce (big business).

on June 11,2014 | 08:49AM

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justin_thymewrote:

Goodbye and good riddance, Rep. Cantor! Now your hateful legacy can fade away. The extremist tea-party upstart who unseated you in the primary may well win the general election (after all, you lost in the reddest part of a very red state) -- but his agenda will be so obviously extreme that there's a chance for a progressive Democrat to unseat him in 2016. May you find yourself unemployed and destitute, ASAP!

on June 10,2014 | 07:34PM

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HD36wrote:

What is extreme about the tea-party?

on June 10,2014 | 08:10PM

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HIEwrote:

You mean the folks who are represented by the Gadsden flag? The flag those two cop killers laid on the slain police officer after murdering him? Yeah, nothing extreme about the Tea Party and their swastika-loving, anti-government, cop killing brethren...

on June 10,2014 | 09:56PM

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HIEwrote:

You mean the folks who are represented by the Gadsden flag? The flag those two cop killers laid on the slain police officer after murdering him? Yeah, nothing extreme about the Tea Party and their swastika-loving, anti-government, cop killing brethren...

on June 10,2014 | 09:57PM

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HIEwrote:

You mean the folks who are represented by the Gadsden flag? The flag those two cop killers laid on the slain police officer after murdering him? Yeah, nothing extreme about the Tea Party and their swastika-loving, anti-government, cop killing brethren...

on June 10,2014 | 09:57PM

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droidwrote:

Nothing! Extreme liberals are the problem!

on June 11,2014 | 04:21AM

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Slowwrote:

I am a liberal surfer. I can go left and right as the waves dictate. Ever try going left?

on June 11,2014 | 06:21AM

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Slowwrote:

Does the tea party support unlimited money from any source to influence the political process? Is it extreme to give our country to the Koch Brothers?

on June 11,2014 | 06:20AM

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Paulh808wrote:

George Soros is just fine with you though!

on June 11,2014 | 06:30AM

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HD36wrote:

But look at the facts: Brat raised almost $300,000 while Cantor raised $5.4 million. So who had the big money support?

on June 11,2014 | 07:29AM

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HD36wrote:

Wow, there's is hope for America!

on June 10,2014 | 08:09PM

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HIEwrote:

Not when it comes to intelligence and grammar.

on June 10,2014 | 09:51PM

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HIEwrote:

You mean the folks who are represented by the Gadsden flag? The flag those two cop killers laid on the slain police officer after murdering him? Yeah, nothing extreme about the Tea Party and their swastika-loving, anti-government, cop killing brethren...

on June 10,2014 | 09:56PM

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HIEwrote:

You mean the folks who are represented by the Gadsden flag? The flag those two cop killers laid on the slain police officer after murdering him? Yeah, nothing extreme about the Tea Party and their swastika-loving, anti-government, cop killing brethren...

on June 10,2014 | 09:57PM

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salsacoquibxwrote:

200,000 dollars defeated the Cantor, lesson here is the small people in your district have the power to boot you out. Too bad the same can't be said for Hawaii who vote the same people in over and over again. Blind leading the blind

on June 11,2014 | 05:23AM

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mokeblawrote:

It's about time people! Now for the rest of the country, what part of illegal people don't understand? They bleed our welfare systems make our health cost up and a burden to every taxes in this country. There's a legal way to come in, might be a long process but a legal way.

on June 11,2014 | 05:42AM

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Slowwrote:

You do mean brown skinned illegals, right? Not the European and Japanese folks I know. Let's just get the Japanese internment camp reopened so we can round em up and head em out. They all came here to sit on their okoles and live the lazy life hanging outside 7-11 drinking 40's. Wait. That's us, not them. They are working.

He shouldn't let the door hit him in the **s on his way out the door. Good riddance to bad rubbish. His replacement will probably vote the same as Mr. Cantor, but have less power. Sounds good to me... maybe the Democrat will even beat him.